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The Roar

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Nice guy boxer Jeff Horn set to cash in

Boxer Jeff Horn speaks during a press conference after the signing of a pair of giant 50kg gloves in Queen St Mall, Brisbane. Boxer Jeff Horn will fight Manny Pacqucao in the "Battle of Brisbane" WBO World Welterweight Championship on July 2. (AAP Image/Robert Shakespeare)
2nd July, 2017
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Jeff Horn’s win over Manny Pacquiao may not have won universal approval, but it will galvanise Australian boxing while proving nice guys can finish first.

Horn’s contentious unanimous points win in Brisbane on Sunday will breathe new life into a sport which has struggled for attention in Australia since the UFC brand giving mixed martial arts plenty of momentum.

The Queenslander’s against-the-odds victory will inspire an emerging generation of boxers, with Sunday’s undercard winners Damian Hooper, David Toussaint and Brock Jarvis along with and Pacquiao’s recent Australian sparring partner George Kambosos Jr among those set to make a mark.

Another world title could come as early as next weekend, when Queenslander Mark Flanagan challenges Denis Lebedev for the WBA Super World cruiserweight title in Russia.

But first Australia will savour a victory from its newest sporting hero.

Horn quickly showed he wasn’t going to be intimidated by his celebrated opponent.

The occasional schoolteacher with the respectful out-of-ring manner, pushed Pacquiao to the canvas early and roughed him up.

His courage in withstanding Pacquiao’s barrage in the ninth round will go down alongside Jeff Harding’s unforgettable final round in his first fight with Dennis Andries as one of the most memorable rounds in Australian boxing history.

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But not all of the international boxing community was won over by Horn’s performance.

The result triggered plenty of comment, with several respected fight figures scoring Pacquiao the winner.

ESPN Boxing scribe Dan Rafael called it a putrid decision and said CompuBox stats showed Pacquiao landing 182 punches to 92 and more punches in 11 of the 12 rounds..

The punch statistics don’t always tell the story or reflect the power and effectiveness of the blows and while Horn reeled in the ninth, Pacquiao absorbed plenty of punishment.

Some observers suggested Pacquiao was the victim of the latest of boxing’s many judging robberies.

Others branded it a hometown decision, ignorant of the fact that none of the judges were from Australia, let alone Brisbane.

What was indisputable though was the heart Horn showed.

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Horn isn’t the hungry kid from the wrong side of the tracks, but a more cerebral type.

He took up boxing after being bullied and is now doing the beating up.

So much so, Horn is set to be richly rewarded, starting with a rematch against Pacquiao.

Those Brisbane schoolboy bullies unleashed the fighter within Horn and now Australia has a new world champion to cherish and a role model to boot.

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